SafePlants

Hairy Bittercress: A Common Garden Dweller

Hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta) is a frequently encountered plant, often found in gardens and other disturbed areas. This page provides information about its characteristics, habitat, and potential interactions.

Common Names

• Hairy Bittercress
• Lamb's Cress
• Land Cress
• Spring Cress
• Hairy Bitter-cress
• Hoary Bitter Cress
• Flick Weed
• Shot Weed
• Winter Bittercress
• Hairy Cress
• Popping Cress

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Scientific Name: Cardamine hirsuta
• Family: Brassicaceae (also known as Cruciferae), also known as the Mustard or Cabbage Family

Distribution and Habitat

• Native to Europe and Western Asia.
• Naturalized throughout much of the United States and also present in North America.
• Common throughout the British Isles, particularly on bare ground, path-sides, rocks, and walls.
• Found in open and cultivated ground.
• Recorded up to 3,800 ft in the UK.

Ecological Role

• Considered a weed, especially in landscapes, container-grown plants, and greenhouses.
• Can quickly spread due to its short life cycle (3-4 weeks) and the large number of seeds each seedhead produces.

Morphological Characteristics

• Annual or biennial plant.
• Small plant, approximately 5-30cm tall.
• Has a basal rosette of dark green, pinnate leaves.
• Stems are mainly straight and hairless, can be 3-9 inches long.
• Upper stem leaflets are narrower than those near the base. Leaflet edges are smooth to slightly lobed.
• The leaves are sometimes hairy on the upper surface.

Quirky Facts

• Hairy bittercress is edible and can be used in salads. Some consider it a spring green.
• It has a cress-like smell when the leaves are crushed.

Interactions with Other Organisms

• Mentioned as food source eaten during wartime when other greens were scarce.

Further Information

• BBC Gardeners' World Magazine.